1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for controlling the outflow of the flushing water into a toilet bowl, and more particularly, to such an apparatus that employs a mechanical timer and a crank for selectively controlling the quantity of water flushed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional toilet tanks generally contain between five and six gallons of water and utilize substantially all of such water during a flushing operation. It has been recognized that the use of such large quantities of water in all instance is not necessary since the flushing away of waste liquids requires only a fraction of the water required for flushing solid matter. For example, it has been determined that approximately seven quarts of water is sufficient to remove liquid waste whereas about 31/2 gallons of water is sufficient to remove solid waste. In view of such waste and because of the interest of society in preserving our natural resources water conservation legislation is presently being enacted in several of the states.
In the patent art, mechanisms for providing a partial flush or a full flush are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,833, "Two-Way Flush Valve Mechanism" by Romeo M. Nardone and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,591, "Toilet Flushing Mechanism" by William Girten. Each of the mechanisms, however, relies on the weight of the water in the tank to cause the bulb valve to seat on the water oulet. This is disadvantageous since the time required for seating may vary. These patents do not reveal an apparatus that utilizes a timer for forcing the valve to be seated on the water outlet after a predetermined time has elapsed.